tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86804846105423452422016-04-27T00:33:44.300+05:30India Climate PortalYour one-stop site for the latest on climate change, news, events and developments in IndiaIndia Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-47855358088256951632013-06-22T19:01:00.000+05:302013-08-30T19:04:29.149+05:30Remembering Gaura Devi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In 1925, Gaura Devi was born in the village of Latha, in the
Garwhal region of the Himalayas, in the upper Alakananda Valley. Around that
time, the area was covered with pristine forests, dark, deep, thick forests –
this was also the source of their traditional agricultural economy. In keeping
with tradition, she was married off at the age of 12 to Meherban Singh, in the
nearby village of Reni. Singh was a small farmer, with a small piece of land,
reared some sheep and traded in wool. They were by no means rich but they
certainly had a comfortable life devoid of hardship and penury. The inevitable
happened. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Meherban Singh died 10 later,
and when her son grew up and had children of his own, they all worked together
to keep the family going. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>As tension
grew between India and China, their trade suffered, but the forests produce
kept her family going. She became a grandmother and step into her role of a
matriarch. She then went on to become the head of the Mahila Mandal.&nbsp;</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7YmGkQl0X_E/UcVZrfCiyuI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/JV80vjWwSEc/s1600/photogauradevil-thumb.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7YmGkQl0X_E/UcVZrfCiyuI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/JV80vjWwSEc/s200/photogauradevil-thumb.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaura Devi</td></tr>
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A little down the Alakanda Valley, the Chipko movement
started taking roots – <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Chandi Prasad Bhatt
and Govind <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Singh Rawat started to protest
against the felling of the deodar trees in a forest near the village. It was the year&nbsp;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1974, and about 2500 deodars trees were marked for
felling. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Gaura Devi joined the protest
movement&nbsp; and actively campaigned for protection of the trees.</div>
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Ten years later in an interview Gaura Devi said “Brothers,
these forests are like our maternal home (maika). We get herbs, fuel fruits and
vegetables from them. Cutting the forests will result in floods."&nbsp;</div>
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And today, in a flood-ravaged
Uttarakhand, that has destroyed Kedarnath<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;
</span>and other large parts of the state have been washed away and battered , leaving
thousands, possibly missing or dead, thousands homeless,thousands of mules
and cattle dead , I remember the wise Gaura Devi and her caution.</div>
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The disaster that we
see today in Uttarakhand cannot be blamed only on the heavy rains -
the devastation that we are seeing today <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>is largely due to deforestation, illegal construction,
reckless damming of rivers and a complete abuse of our rivers and our natural resources.</div>
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Gaura Devi <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>may not have
been to school but she had the wisdom of our ancient teachers and rishis . All
our Hindu scriptures, from the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;
</span>Mahabharata to the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Ramayana, the Vedas,
Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Puranas and Smriti contain the earliest messages for
preservation of environment and ecological balance.</div>
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Gaura Devi knew this then but sadly, those who have been
charged with protecting <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>our people and
our forests, still don’t know this. Indeed, they have morphed themselves&nbsp; from being protectors to predators.</div>
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<i>Soil ours, water ours, ours are these forests. Our
forefathers raised them, it’s we who must protect them.</i></div>
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<i>&nbsp;Old Chipko Song</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4fzrPwI0290/UcVre-BbRMI/AAAAAAAAAaM/KGn16lk3Y-8/s1600/chipko-thumb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4fzrPwI0290/UcVre-BbRMI/AAAAAAAAAaM/KGn16lk3Y-8/s200/chipko-thumb.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-56060584938906184392012-07-17T09:35:00.000+05:302012-07-17T09:37:23.756+05:30Tragedy of the Commons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was reading about the Western Ghats declared a '<a href="http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-03/flora-fauna/32522839_1_features-of-immense-importance-world-heritage-list-western-ghats" target="_blank">Natural heritage by UNESCO</a>' around the same time The Economist wrote a brilliant 14 page article on the '<a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21556798" target="_blank">The Melting Arctic</a>' last week, and felt there was so much in common between the two. A decision on comparing the two started forming.<br />
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So, despite the fact that we are heading towards an unavoidable 2 degree rise, our Himalayan glaciers will soon stop manufacturing our water, not to mention parts of Greenland crashing in 2005 and raising the water level etc. there is still no action happening. Wake up calls have come and gone, but business-as-usual and politics carries on.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-crGFR6eS5g8/T_1jftbv_yI/AAAAAAAAAMg/F0uCiOEJQnI/s1600/Map_of_the_Western_Ghats_for_Save_Western_Ghats_Meet_2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-crGFR6eS5g8/T_1jftbv_yI/AAAAAAAAAMg/F0uCiOEJQnI/s400/Map_of_the_Western_Ghats_for_Save_Western_Ghats_Meet_2010.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">Our Western Ghats are the oldest ecosystem in India extending 1,50,000 km (almost) snake-like from Maharashtra upto Kerala ending at Kanyakumari; a treasure trove of wildlife, plants, water, providing valuable services like water, food, carbon sequestration and climate stabilisation. Yet, the state governments of the south choose to reject the UNESCO tag because it will come in the way of their 'treasure hunting'.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Environmentalists, experts,&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white;">grassroots</span><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp;individuals rejoiced when UNESCO announced the good news a week ago, only left baffled when Karnataka and Kerala governments announced they want the tag off. The Western Ghats is&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white;">an extraordinary natural heritage of the world, occupying only 6% of India's land surface and holds more than 30% of wildlife species hundreds of endemic medicinal plants. Most importantly it is the birthplace of the river Cauvery which provides water for Karnataka, Kerala and forms catchment areas for a large number of smaller rivers to settlements. Home to over 200 million people who depend upon this biodiversity rich resource for their livelihood and home.</span><br />
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The Arctic region today is probably one of the biggest goldmine's in the 21st century. The presence of hydrocarbons provides huge oil reservoirs in the ocean and experts have found rock deposits on the sea bed which contain precious metals like gold. This is bad, bad news for the Arctic region. With greedy western nations already depleting their own oil reserves and creating much of the global warming, no part of the world seems likely to be spared. The north cap has been largely undiscovered and little knowledge is known being an extremely cold region and&nbsp;virtually&nbsp;inhospitable to access. However, with the ice melt in recent years this land of unknown is slowly transforming without adequate knowledge of what is going to happen. With melting ice, and rising sea levels who knows what is in store for us over the years if this continues.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GhBOAjwbBls/T_1lAFSLhsI/AAAAAAAAAMo/3SYmtpLxvsY/s1600/polar-ice-caps-melting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GhBOAjwbBls/T_1lAFSLhsI/AAAAAAAAAMo/3SYmtpLxvsY/s400/polar-ice-caps-melting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">I was asked recently that development cannot take place without the environment being sacrificed, but if we continue to dig up our Western Ghats and Arctic ice forever the environment will have nothing left for us, and the lasting effect it can have on our ecosystems will be devastating. Wildlife species, depletion of water reserves, and complete and total disregard of the planet will put us in grave future.&nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The Western Ghats have faced a lot of destruction which have led to increase in&nbsp;temperatures, man-animal conflict and community dispute. The Arctic is home to many endemic species like the Western Ghats and these creatures will suffer with their food and natural habitat depleting because of two reasons - Ice melt and human interference. Many species in the Western Ghats have not been discovered as yet owing to high density, and many fear are extinct due to mining activities. In the Arctic permafrost in some areas go upto a depth of hundred kilometres, this solid ice contains stored methane and carbon twice the amount already present in the atmosphere. Scientists fear that activities are already stirring this sleeping giant and can prove catastrophic if let loose. The Western Ghats and Arctic region play a huge ecological role in terms of weather and climate control as well, the Arctic is 14,056,000 square km big and melting at a fast pace since warming takes place twice as fast as the rest of the world.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">With an uncertain future of our natural reserves and unique wildlife systems, the greatest tragedy of our commons is already taking place if immediate action is not taken to protect ourselves and generations after us to enjoy what we have today. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">By Kavya Chandra</span></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-46434015514898765882012-07-02T14:45:00.000+05:302012-07-09T17:27:02.583+05:30Climate Change and Weather Woes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qg41ijslW-M/T_Fl9QZXw2I/AAAAAAAAAMU/zXsZnf_4RPw/s1600/farmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qg41ijslW-M/T_Fl9QZXw2I/AAAAAAAAAMU/zXsZnf_4RPw/s400/farmer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The absence of monsoon this year have left tell-tale signs of impending climate change. With July already upon us northern states are yet to receive their rain water supply desperately needed after a long and hot summer period. More than 80% of India has not received its much required water needs this year.<br />
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Bangalore recorded the hottest day, temperatures touched 37 degrees celsius in April had everyone remaining indoors, avoiding the sun and witnessed water scarcity problems arising all over. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter shared common comments longing for rain, good weather and weather forecast so days can be planned makes us all wonder whether this year is going to be as bad as last or, worse.<br />
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Unatural weather behaviour has affected India, with a country with more than 6 climate subtypes ranging from Himalayan region, arid desserts, coastal locations and sub-tropical areas it is no wonder that we have a complex weather pattern that checks a stable climate and cycle. Climate change has started affecting regions which are most vulnerable to changes; melting glaciers and lake outbursts in the Himalayan region have become a common hazard destroying crops and plantations, wiping out villages &nbsp;settlements and taking lives. In the Himalayan Meltdown rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Yamuna which originate from this region are heading for big trouble, by 2025 if Himalayan glaciers retreat substantially this will affect the 200 million population of North India who are directly dependent on these rivers for their precious water supply.<br />
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Bangladesh has a record of 50 million climate refugees today and is the most affected region in the world to climate change and rising water levels. Cities like Mumbai and Kolkatta have the biggest slum settlements due to migration of rural into urban cities as a result of crop failure, loss of land, unemployment which forces the poor to turn to metros for jobs and end up living in slums adding to problems of choked cities.<br />
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Climate change in India hits the poor the hardest who end paying the biggest price and do not have the voice or power to communicate their distress. Our water, food and ecosystem will be the most affected which will spiral into socio-economic problems and loss of economic GDP. &nbsp;The Indian government wants to see a rise in India's GDP which is currently 9% to 11% in the next few years, but this will only be possible if we attend to the real issues on ground like rural development and employment, clean energy implementation and promoting climate resilient agriculture. Floods need to be controlled with appropriate drainage systems and infrastructure like rainwater harvesting need investment so we save every drop, emergency evacuations systems in vulnerable areas like Bangladesh and Leh-Ladakh region need to be well-equipped and successful.<br />
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One of the greatest changes that we can do as a nation is also at a citizens level. I believe that educated, urban born individuals can start doing their bit in a small way that allows them to save precious fuel and electricity costs. Environmental sensitivity should be significant in urban cities which have heavy infrastructure development, the aesthetic needs of merging environmental friendly surroundings with urban development has the potential of becoming a viral phenomenon if we Indians appreciate the natural beauty and fragility of our very ecosystems. It is time we wake up from our stupor.<br />
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News links:<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/June-rain-deficit-at-31-monsoon-in-crucial-phase-2-July-2012-Times-of-India%C2%A0" target="_blank">http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/June-rain-deficit-at-31-monsoon-in-crucial-phase-2-July-2012-Times-of-India&nbsp;</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/Delayed-Monsoon-Extends-Hot-Spell-in-Northern-Region-1-July-2012-The-Business-Standard%C2%A0" target="_blank">http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/Delayed-Monsoon-Extends-Hot-Spell-in-Northern-Region-1-July-2012-The-Business-Standard&nbsp;</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2011/06/13/-revealed-the-himalayan-meltdown">http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2011/06/13/-revealed-the-himalayan-meltdown</a><br />
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By Kavya Chandra<a href="http://kavya-kavyachandra.blogspot.in/2012/07/climate-change-and-monsoon-woes.html" target="_blank">http://kavya-kavyachandra.blogspot.in/2012/07/climate-change-and-monsoon-woes.html</a></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-46190659743610732852012-04-25T19:00:00.001+05:302012-04-25T19:02:27.021+05:30Pushing carbon emission bACkWaRdS and Celebrating Earth Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yVzkD1E9dP4/T5f6Y847jGI/AAAAAAAAAL0/UKnpEanxa_A/s1600/Earth+Day+in+Bangalore+2012+(361).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yVzkD1E9dP4/T5f6Y847jGI/AAAAAAAAAL0/UKnpEanxa_A/s200/Earth+Day+in+Bangalore+2012+(361).JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22, a day where we remind ourselves that we have precious resources to protect; the ground, sky, water and everything above, between and below are reasons why we have been able to come so far in such a short period. This is a day where we remember what we are standing on - The Earth.<br />
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Earth Day was celebrated in Bangalore on April 21 2012 with much pomp, song and believe it or not pushing two-wheelers backwards by 200 college students from B.N.M Institute of Technology on a hot Saturday afternoon. Centre for Social Markets and BNM decided that its high time the present gen is reminded about issues of carbon belching, fuel drinking, noisy two-wheelers or just about anything that comes with an engine and how sustainable transport can replace the motor world.<br />
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So why two-wheelers? And why pushed backwards which takes a lot of effort? So Bangalore stands no. 1 (and not proudly) of holding the most number of two-wheelers in Bangalore - 26 lakhs. This pretty much outstrips all the rest (stats here) accounting for the increase in carbon emissions, pollution rise and high temperatures which the city has been witnessed in the last few years. Also Bangalore stands no. 3 (very proud here) of holding a young population who rather opt for bikes and scooty peps than cycles. With the number of two-wheelers + 20 somethings in the city this campaign was perfect to encourage our 'push backwards for an earth cause' campaign.<br />
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Pushing backwards was an effort to create an awareness of emissions levels caused by two-wheelers ridden by youngsters. We were telling the public become sustainable in your transport pick a cycle, walk or use public transportation, learn to curb those emissions. Learn to protect your environment for your own sake.<br />
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We pushed for 2 kilometers in Banashakari area from the college to the main road, passed the post office, reached the BDA Complex and back to the college. Going downhill at one point threatened all the bikes plummeting into one another, but with 5 people to one engine the students controlled the entire operation beautifully. With the drum beating to various tunes, some youngsters started dancing tapori style - almost like a festival procession. And it was! A festival celebrating the earth, celebrating our home, the air, water and ground which we depend upon.<br />
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An operation which involved top environmental organisations - Sanctuary Asia, Earth Day Network and Greenpeace who were our supporters and stood like pillars throughout the rally. Our media partner Namma Bengaluru Foundation gave us the media action in Bangalore.<br />
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The day ended with Greenpeace creating a human chain of a bicycle and a pledge taken by the 200 students promising to save 100,000 km of carbon emissions till the next Earth Day April 22, 2012.<br />
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What a perfect Earth Day celebration in Bangalore, and a milestone for me as an enthusiastic person wishing to make a difference. I will be doing much more.<br />
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Media coverage and support:<br />
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<a href="http://tcktcktck.org/2012/04/earth-day-dispatch-3-bicycles-in-bangalore/" target="_blank">TCKTCKTCK</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=8605:their-message-reduce-carbon-emission-levels&amp;catid=110:home-page" target="_blank">Sanctuary Asia</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article3344010.ece" target="_blank">The Hindu</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_going-backward-looking-ahead_1679071" target="_blank">DNA</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bangaloremirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&amp;sectid=10&amp;contentid=2012042120120421012045203c8e92e0a" target="_blank">Bangalore Mirror</a><br />
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<a href="http://expressbuzz.com/cities/bangalore/Earth-Day-200-students-push-bike-backwards/384682.html" target="_blank">The New Indian Express</a><br />
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- by Kavya Chandra<br />
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<br /></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-91428963301774398782012-04-02T11:40:00.001+05:302012-04-02T14:44:16.227+05:30And Revathi did not come<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Summer has descended upon the subcontinent .<br />
The cities, towns, plains, and the once salubrious hill stations are heating up.<br />
The days are hot, the nights are still. There is no escape.<br />
It is immutable.Everyone waits for &nbsp;rain. The Malnad is ready to receive her.<br />
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Even the beautiful Coffea Arabica &nbsp;bud is ready. It awaits Revathi ,the pre-monsoon shower. &nbsp;Revathi, the giver of life, the nurturer.In the wilderness of the Malnad will Revathi keep her date ? But this year she is late again. Her timely arrival is important. For some its life .For some its business as usual. Her arrival announces that the South West Monsoon is on its way.Her drizzle enhances the coffee bloom .The coffee farmer waits in anticipation. &nbsp;She brings the Malnad back to life.<br />
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This year the temperatures in the Malnad touched 36 degrees &nbsp;against a normal temperature &nbsp;of 33-34 degrees Celsius. Apart from this higher than normal temperature, there has been a dry spell of &nbsp;nearly 5 months in the coffee growing areas that is affecting coffee production. But Revathi did not come.<br />
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The &nbsp;dry spell &nbsp;and the high temperatures are worrying the farmers, specially in the areas that lack irrigation facilities. Coffee production in India is about 300 years old and largely occurs on small, family-owned farms - majority being up to 2.5 acres. The occurrence of irregular and unseasonal rain, &nbsp;extreme weather events - have started to take its toll on India's coffee.The hard ,dark brown coffee bean belies the fact that the coffee crop is acutely sensitive and like most crops is sensitive to rain. A long-term increase in the number of extreme and unseasonal rainfall events has lowered crop yields, threatening the livelihood of those dependant on this sector .Coffee has seen a decline in its productions in the last couple of years. In fact the magnitude of this decline is quite astounding .Yields have declined almost 10% since 2000.<br />
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In the year 2009 &nbsp;both Arabica and Robusta suffered losses due to unseasonal heavy rains.Likewise, heavy rains during the blossoming delayed the harvest and lowered crop quality in 2010. There have been periods of drought &nbsp;In 2002, Karnataka experienced a severe drought for three consecutive years (2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04). The IPCC on Climate Change predicts that yields from rain-dependant agriculture could be down by 50% by 2020 . In the Coorg region, some areas have already seen rainfall drop by one-third – from 106 inches per year to 70 inches.<br />
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The problem with today’s economy is that we have become obsessed by &nbsp;the idea of "GDP growth” - which seems to be the single most important measure for success. A green economy is the only sustaining economy - it put values on natural resources, it uses resources sparingly, makes use of its natural capital rather than wasting it and stands committed to environmental protection.Our current GDP models do not recognise the role of natural capital.There is a lot that needs to change. Unless the economic importance of biodiversity and ecosystems, of ecology and forests, not just among economists, but at the level of policy makers, administrators, businesses and the public is understood,the wait for Revathi will get longer.<br />
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by Viva Kermani</div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-750511958643065782012-03-07T14:12:00.001+05:302012-03-07T14:13:36.974+05:30The various E's in Sustainable Development<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Thinking about sustainable development and connecting the dots, I came to realise how important the letter 'E' is when it comes to describing solutions and research in the development sector.<br />
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It starts with E<u>ducation</u> from a young age, schools and institutions are pillars in shaping young interests and hearts, terms such as environment education, <a href="http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=category&amp;id=579&amp;Itemid=311" target="_blank">conservation</a>&nbsp;begin at this stage to leave an impression of the natural world. Nature walks, excursions bring alive the bee's and butterflies stories and remain in memory. &nbsp;Movies like 'Jungle Book' and 'Finding Nemo' are crucial in teaching the next generation, using forests and animals help them connect and identify with the natural world. As they grow older, projects, photography, identifying key animal species continue, One of the most important introductions at this stage is teaching individuals about the many shortcomings in the country, visiting villages and slums, reaching out to the poor and less&nbsp;privileged in an effort to bridge this enormous gap.<br />
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<u>Employment</u> at a young adult stage is a big transition; more responsibilities newer interests and higher stress is involved. <a href="http://www.carbonfootprint.com/individuals.html" target="_blank">Calculating carbon footprint</a> at this stage is an important step to sustainable living with most working professionals who opt for private vehicles instead of public transport. Delhi's metro success provided a big solution for reducing carbon emissions. This success has encouraged other cities to develop metro's, like Bangalore starting its metro. <u>Energy efficiency</u> can start at home and slowly spread in work places with of course all individuals being aware of energy use, expense. We begin learning to switch off - like <a href="http://www.earthhour.in/" target="_blank">Earth Hour</a> once a year reminds us that conserving energy is an important factor to consider and keep us aware and alert on the stress we put on our resources. <u>Earth Day</u> is another yearly alert that we have one planet and one home to protect, educating those who haven't yet turned around, to be green &nbsp;and economise better.<br />
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Empowering and Emancipation of women is a social issue taking up precedence in the world. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai" target="_blank">Wangari Maathai</a> showed the world what one person can do through her work and actions, how women can lead sustainable livelihoods in Africa and empowering rural women to take action in a male dominated society. She received accolades for her sustainable methods and paved the road for women leaders in one of the poorest countries in the world.<br />
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<u>Equality</u> and <u>Equity</u> is another step towards sustainable development. The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2010/sep/14/millennium-development-goals-resources" target="_blank">Millennium&nbsp;Development Goals</a> by the UN show that more than 1 billion people go hungry, more than 2 billion live on less than $1 a day. There is a dangerous difference between the rich &amp;&nbsp;privileged&nbsp;and the rest of the world. Efforts are being made a large scale basis to overcome the 8 goals, growing populations and more people coming into the bracket of poverty only makes this challenge bigger. One of their most recent success stories is the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/mar/06/mdg-drinking-water-target-met" target="_blank">availability of water</a> in poor and developing countries.<br />
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If you string all the letters with 'E' you get: Education, Employment, Empowering, Energy Efficiency, Equality, Earth.<br />
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- By Kavya Chandra</div>
</div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-69530359912753412122012-02-17T12:00:00.168+05:302012-02-25T17:10:27.834+05:30Natural Capital and putting a Value to it<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Pavan Sukhdev, CEO of Deutsche Bank mentioned in a TED Talks presentation last year that "The invisible economic value of natural capital in the world is worth around $13 trillion".<br />
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What we need to understand is there is a certain balance in the planet that nature has a full force in. Just how every tree holds a minimum of 30% pure carbon, put a forest or sanctuary together you have lakhs of carbon stored in tree's, water bodies and soil. The process of cleansing the air and maintaining a fresh supply of oxygen has a responsibility and comes free ever since life begun. It is crucial that we learn to value and protect these resources which provide an invaluable service to our food, agriculture water and climate needs. Pavan Sukhdev puts a <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/pavan_sukhdev_what_s_the_price_of_nature.html" target="_blank">value to nature</a>&nbsp;and joins the dots between business, profit, and conservation with a focus on sustainable development, keeping the future in mind and whats at stake.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6C994D1MGUo/T0i68-qZdlI/AAAAAAAAALM/yZHh7WwxmYg/s1600/Cubbon+Park+088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6C994D1MGUo/T0i68-qZdlI/AAAAAAAAALM/yZHh7WwxmYg/s200/Cubbon+Park+088.jpg" width="200" /></a>He said, "Bee's pollinating fruit in the world is worth around $190 billion, but the bee doesn't give you an invoice". South America's amazon&nbsp;rain forests&nbsp;carry billions of water vapour which feed the country's &nbsp;agriculture needs, the citizens pay zero for this.<br />
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The action plan that India needs to draw out is keeping 'green accounts' for every state; measuring water and forest availability and creating an educational forum of the value these resources provide.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/Companies-must-fight-climate-change-20-February-2012-The-Economic-Times" target="_blank">Companies in India</a> today understand that green and sustainable are cleaner and cheaper, but what they want most of all is a reassurance from the government to start investing in this sector, the red tape needs to be cut to allow foreign investors coming into the country. Its a win-win situation for companies investing in climate change and green norms. Indian governments have a plan for creating green accounting by 2015, this should be pushed as a compulsory policy so that MNC's in India lead by example for the rest.<br />
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The problem today is due to the the wide difference between urban and natural capital, and people having little idea on the value of the environment. For everyone to understand the importance of natural capital and their role they play in our sustainable future, putting a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/price-tag-nature-biodiversity-puma-comment" target="_blank">price tag on nature</a>&nbsp;today is critical.<br />
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By Kavya Chandra</div>
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India's development, social issues, environmental problems are mounted one of top of each other, add climate variance to all spells a huge dilemma coming at us.<br />
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Recently in Durban we concluded the <a href="http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/component/option,com_content/view,homearticle/homearticleid,19" target="_blank">17th Confederation of parties (COP)</a> where over 190 countries assembled in Africa to reach decisions on the growing climate problem world over. This was one of the most important meetings since Kyoto will be expiring in 2012 and countries debated on whether a renewal treaty should be put in place or not. India's role took a tongue lashing from environmentalists and adamantly refused to co-operate&nbsp;on lowering carbon emissions. The country's per capita global emission is far less than the total carbon footprint, agreed, but what <a href="http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/India-not-to-sign-legally-binding-pacts-on-emission-cuts-Govt-27-December-2011-The-Economic-Times" target="_blank">Jayanthi Natarajan</a> our honourable environmental minister misses out is that we are a growing population of 1.2 billion. People's carbon footprint increases as more than 50,000 vehicles are added on the road every year, employment has shot up in cities increasing numbers, mining in South India is taking an ecological toll, Wiping out forests and disregard to wildlife in the name of development increases, hence there are many many reasons to growing India's carbon footprint.<br />
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Highlighting this issue, the root of most of India's problems stems from: Extreme poverty. Lack of education, health, security, benefits, unemployment and zero access - a trend of problems arise. One is of course high growth of population in India. Contraception and family planning is virtually unknown in most parts of the country with no education in this matter. The other issue is the demand for the male children, which results in having more children the better likelihood of producing a male, many parts of India don't want <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article2826252.ece" target="_blank">girl children</a>. The problem largely falls on lack of education and knowledge, inadequate health access which leads to bigger families. With development centered on urban centric locations we miss addressing the root of the problem which lies in most underdeveloped and neglected areas of India.<br />
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Our agriculture, food and water security is in deep trouble today. The population still largely sits in villages and small towns and little or nothing is done on upliftment of those livelihoods which are directly responsible for the food on our table.&nbsp;Bureaucracy, corruption and exploitation leaves a trail of tragic endings to <a href="http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/Farmers-would-quit-agriculture-if-they-had-an-alternative-25-August-2011-The-Hindu" target="_blank">agriculture farmers</a> who are completely helpless in the face of an insensitive system. The climate crisis is affecting their livelihoods at a greater level prompting many farmers to turn to alternate sources if possible.<br />
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But where there are problems, who says solutions are not possible? It's not that we can't, we don't. India has made tremendous progress in the last 10 years, catapulting the country in the paths technology, science, energy and gaining respect world over. A 360 degree view needs to implemented right away in this way. Green employment today is becoming a growing sector, the terms solar, wind are a trend witnessed everywhere. Providing alternate energy is not only 'green' &nbsp;environmentally healthy but generates employment opportunities in rural and urban sectors. Sustainable livelihoods with indigenous tribes/ forest people of India is important ground level opportunity. The country still has one of the largest natural capital, the need to protect these areas is vital for economic growth. Education is 'the' most important, it provides the backbone to any growing economy. Health, food and water security are of course natural demands.<br />
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As business takes importance and ecological takes a backseat many forget that its because of ecology we thrive today. If we take her for granted business and economy will fall, it is inevitable.<br />
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By Kavya Chandra<br />
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</div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-25133561698755328822012-01-13T14:29:00.003+05:302012-01-13T14:43:13.364+05:30An Extraordinary Journey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By Kavya Chandra</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pushpanath aka ‘Push’ as he is fondly known stands out from the crowd with his bushy white-black hair, calm expression and radiating energy. A charismatic man, Push is someone who is driven by passion, love for the outdoors, storytelling and believes actions speak for themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">An amazing and difficult journey undertaken in November 2011 by Push who walked 550 kilometers from Chikmagalur (north belt of Karnataka) to Mysore for 16 days in his fight for climate justice. His message was simple, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">“India is feeling the pain of climate change, when a child is ill his mother applies a wet cloth to his forehead, similarly India is getting hot but the world leaders at Durban are too busy fighting over the colour of the cloth”.</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Words simple, yet impactful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the second walk by Push who walked from Oxford to Copenhagen in 2009 as a run-up to the Copenhagen summit carrying the same message to world leaders in Copenhagen. He has travelled far and wide over the past 16 years as a global campaigner for climate action, seen the sufferings of the poor in African countries, experienced poverty faced by children in South Asia and witnessed women in developing countries bear the full brunt of climate conflict.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A follower of Gandhi and a radical at heart, Push says that the Dandi March inspired him to walk,&nbsp;<i>‘‘It is the simplest thing anyone can do, if you feel strongly about something walking is the best way to express yourself’’.&nbsp;</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Similarly this year, Push takes a message to our world leaders who recently wounded up the Durban meeting,&nbsp;</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">“Stop pushing around papers on the desk and playing with people’s lives, its time to stop acting politically and start actual ground work, you have the power to set an example, act, and be remembered in history for facing one of the biggest challenges of man”.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">During the walk Push received unstinting and overwhelming support from <a href="http://kgf.org.in/" target="_blank">The Karnataka Growers’ Federation</a> (KGF); a mother body of top coffee growers and planters in the state and world. Push’s journey began in Chikmagalur from Baba Budangir, across many small towns passing the heart of Coorg (commonly known as coffee country) and finally Mysore. Every town welcomed him like a hero, garlands and flowers were thrown, firecrackers burnt with lots of band baja and dance. It felt like a wedding only absentees the bride and groom. The locals graciously put him up every night at each passing town, prepared delicious Coorg cuisine and opened their hearts and homes to Push supporting him till the very end. Children listened to him, danced with him, and hugged him, shouting <i>‘Chalo Durban’</i>. One unforgetful memory was when a small child of 7 removed him shoes and walked 8 km with Push. Coffee growers, local activists, self help groups from all over the state came to meet Push, tell him their stories and problems with changing climate, some of them being with him till the very end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Push personally reached out to 30,000 people in the course of 16 days and lakhs more through media. He walked 2, 25, 00,000 steps totally and was widely covered by the media in Karnataka especially in local towns of Chikmagalur and Coorg, Mysore and Bangalore.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘‘These kinds of stories are the inspiration for us all... to do what we do!!! For today,and the generations to come!”</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">-&nbsp;Marc Matheiu, Hindustan Unilever</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">“One day your name will be the reason of the change in the world, your name might appear even in HISTORY textbooks as “the soul cause of our change”</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">-&nbsp;Dhruvi, High school student</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"You’ve not only accomplished an astonishing personal physical achievement, but raised awareness on climate change and fired the imagination of all those you have come into contact with. With your example they will surely think that anything is possible!"</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">-&nbsp;Malini Mehra, CEO,Centre for Social Markets (CSM)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Visit Pushpanath's blog on&nbsp;</span><a href="http://gopushgo.com/">http://gopushgo.com/</a></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-64415408434417527972012-01-13T13:13:00.001+05:302012-01-13T14:35:50.285+05:30Whose Money Is It Anyways?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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By Viva Kermani<br />
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I am not an economist.&nbsp;Neither do I subscribe to The Financial Times nor to The Economist. Nor do I care to seriously read &nbsp;any of the salmon colored newspapers.</div>
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&nbsp;Despite all of this, I am amazed at how, in the very recent past, there has been a flood of articles, op-eds, stories, blog posts, tweets and re-tweets on the rise in income inequality. &nbsp;Outrage seems to be on how we have allowed capitalism to grow into the form that it is today - which is killing equality, destroying the world’s ecology &nbsp;and causing severe environmental degradation .The manner in which there is an overzealousness in &nbsp;natural resource exploitation , one would imagine that &nbsp;our natural capital is here for us to last till perpetuity.</div>
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The rise of disparity of incomes is not limited to countries such as India, where there has been a history of &nbsp;stark inequality, but the rise of income inequality is growing notoriously in developed countries such as the US and UK. A recent study done in the US showed that the top 1% households' income grew by 275% - this is just one revealing statistics – there is a lot &nbsp;more data out there to show that more wealth is shifting to fewer &nbsp;people, with few bankers having a disproportionate control &nbsp;over the economy. &nbsp;As a recent New York Times article puts it – it has been the era of the rise of the super rich. If not the ultra-rich.</div>
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Forbes annually tallies the fortunes of the world’s billionaires. The world’s 1,210 current billionaires, Forbes reported in March 2011, hold a combined wealth that equals over half the total wealth of the 3.01 billion adults around the world. &nbsp;Something is seriously going wrong. Despite India s economy growing anywhere between 7% and 8 % in the last few years, income inequality has doubled in 20 years. Surely, GDP growth cannot be the only measure of development and progress or for that matter prosperity.</div>
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Nevertheless, why is all this happening? What are we missing that is driving this rapaciousness? Is it because of our inability to perceive the difference between public benefits and private profits?</div>
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I have come to see this polarisation more acutely and closely over the last 12 months in my work with the Karnataka Growers Federation. &nbsp; I have been working extensively with the small to medium-sized coffee farmer in the southern state of Karnataka. Coffee is now big business in India. &nbsp;According to India’s Coffee Board, domestic consumption has been witnessing a steady growth of five to six per cent in the last five years. And we can see this – almost all of urban India today is dotted with coffee bars. Coffee is the preferred choice for the upwardly mobile and uber cool. With the ubiquitous Café Coffee Day, Baristas, Costa Coffee, and the much awaited entry of the more expensive Starbucks into India, the latte and cappuccino are here to stay.</div>
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The world has been gulping down so much coffee that &nbsp;it is now the second most globally traded commodity after oil. &nbsp;But coffee is one of the few internationally traded commodities that is still mainly produced not on large estates or plantations but on small holdings. The economies of the some of the poorest countries are highly dependent on trade in coffee –in some African countries like Ethiopia and Burundi -but the producer today hardly makes a living from his or her coffee bean, given their small holdings – the majority being anywhere between 2.5 acres &nbsp;to10 acres.</div>
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&nbsp;The story is no different in India.&nbsp;Contrary to popular perception, 98.5% of coffee growers in India are small farmers. Today India produces 4.5% of the world’s coffee. This is good news – to some.</div>
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The bad news is that coffee is produced by 90 countries globally but consumed by just 40 countries. The global coffee trade today is close to USD 96 billion. Of this USD 96 billion trade, a meagre USD 8 billion comes back to coffee-producing countries. There is not a chance in hell that the farmer, who produces coffee on say a &nbsp;10 acre holding, has any control on the market prices or access to any share of this mega profit. The producer s share of this profit is unusually low while the usual suspects in between and at the end, laugh all the way to bank. The world’s big four coffee roasters &nbsp;also have big coffee brands – and therefore enjoy huge margins - while the producer benefits the least. Squeezing the small farmer for the lowest possible price – in the long run is a bad business idea – it will drive the coffee farmer out of business.</div>
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Coupled with no control over prices, there is another challenge facing the farmer today – that of unseasonal rain and unpredictable weather patterns. Whilst climate change is just one of numerous factors that may affect global coffee production, the International Coffee Organization considers it will likely be one of the most important ones with smallholders (who produce the majority of the world's coffee) the most vulnerable group. &nbsp;In Karnataka, the state that produces about 70% of India’s coffee, there were 3 years of continuous drought during the coffee season from 2002 to 2005 followed by heavy rainfall in 2006 and 2007. This lead to severe infestation of pest and disease, like stem borer and leaf rust, which resulted in huge crop loss. &nbsp;For the first time we heard of suicides among coffee farmers.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HootMpdkh4M/Tw_gGm9N5WI/AAAAAAAAAJc/G0JUmXA4-iM/s1600/coffee+cherry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HootMpdkh4M/Tw_gGm9N5WI/AAAAAAAAAJc/G0JUmXA4-iM/s200/coffee+cherry.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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When it comes to coffee, India is unique. It is the only country on the world map that grows &nbsp;all its coffee in the shade. Indian coffee is &nbsp;grown in forest like conditions –verdant and rich in biodiversity. India also grows both the varieties of coffee – Arabica (Coffea Arabica) and Robusta(Coffea robusta). Arabica is high-end coffee – it is rich and yet delicate in flavour and therefore &nbsp;commands a higher price. &nbsp;Robusta is the low-end variety – it &nbsp;is hardier but commands a lower price. One would think that Indian farmers would want to grow Arabica and get a higher price for their coffee bean. But sadly the trend is the reverse. Arabica-growing farmers instead are opting out of this highly-flavoured cherry to grow the Robusta variety (which requires less care), partly because the Arabica plant cannot stand up to climate variability and unpredictable weather patterns. &nbsp;And this is the other thing – we are now drinking more and more coffee but of less and less quality. &nbsp;</div>
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So whether Arabica survives or not, or whether farmers only grow Robusta because they have to, I know that if Baba Budan were around today, he would have probably been a very rich man.</div>
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</div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-31875448986357662382011-04-27T10:29:00.003+05:302011-04-27T10:54:00.597+05:30For the love of coffee<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>&nbsp;By: Viva Kermani</b><br />
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Before the Café Coffee Days, there was Baba Budan and his 7 coffee beans.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JSdfdwMbvXc/TbenPKRLTiI/AAAAAAAAAJI/OeHO-OL1XoQ/s1600/Coffee+arabica+plant+and+seeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JSdfdwMbvXc/TbenPKRLTiI/AAAAAAAAAJI/OeHO-OL1XoQ/s200/Coffee+arabica+plant+and+seeds.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee arabica plant and seed</td></tr>
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Baba Budan, a 17th century Sufi Saint, smuggled 7 coffee beans into India from Yemen, thereby, part breaking the Arab monopoly over coffee. The story goes that Baba Budan smuggled out 7 coffee beans from Al Muckha (Mocha), a port city in Yemen. Between the 15th and 17th century, Mocha was the main market place for coffee trading. It is from this Red Sea port of Mocha, that the English word mocha has its origin.</div>
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While the earliest history of coffee goes back to antiquity - there is evidence that point to the existence of the coffee plant in 13th century Ethiopia. Till the mid 17th century or so, the Arab rulers enjoyed their monopoly over coffee. They did what they could to ensure that the cultivation did not spread – so they would strip the bean of its outer layer, roast it&nbsp; and render it infertile. They banned the export of the coffee bean – it could be taken out only if it was boiled or roasted so as to prevent the bean from germinating. Coffee had been colonized.</div>
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This is why Baba Budan, an Indian pilgrim to Mecca, had to smuggle his 7 beans out of Yemen. It was not just Baba Budan who broke the coffee colonization, there was fierce competition between the European colonizers to get hold of coffee. It was the Dutch who in the late 17th century first managed to get some seeds and attempted to grow coffee in their colonies.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Dutch were by now already growing some coffee in the Malabar region of India as well as in their other far eastern colonies.&nbsp; And before you knew, the British started coffee plantations in Jamaica -the rest is cruel ,colonial&nbsp; history.<br />
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There are myriads of stories of how coffee found its way out of Arabia and how it was transported by colonizers, travelers, wanderers, investors ,missionaries&nbsp;&nbsp; and traders&nbsp; – with the rise in the demand for coffee, came a rise in the demand for sugar, both becoming important commodities. Coffee was a commodity that formed part of the trade triangle – from England to Africa to the Americas. Coffee houses sprang up and became meeting places and were centers of social interaction.<br />
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But behind all this energy and movement, the story is really not sweet. The well-known coffee historian, Antony Wild, in his book “Coffee :&nbsp; A Dark History”, takes us to the early days of the history of coffee, on how the, European merchants came across it in Arabia and brought it to Europe. Soon hugely popular, they quickly realized that they could make more money if they planted coffee themselves, in their plantations, using slave labour in their tropical, colonial outposts. Coffee was now on its way to becoming global – from the colonies in Caribbean to&nbsp; the colonies in Java – coffee was leaving its footprint.<br />
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As Antony Wild says, this is the legacy of coffee – tropical countries produce it and rich countries drink it. Even today this legacy is almost true . Quite unlike tea – countries that produce tea mostly drink it.<br />
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Meanwhile, on his return to India, after Mecca, Baba Budan planted the Arabica&nbsp; beans in the hills of Chandragiri, situated in today's Chikmagalur district of Karnataka– and thus is the story of the birth of Indian coffee. Today ,India produces almost 4.5% of the world’s coffee, grown mostly by small and medium growers, and is grown mostly in the three main Southern States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, with Karnataka contributing to 72% of what is grown. (A little bit is also grown in the Northeast and Andhra Pradesh). With the rise of urban India there is a rise in coffee shops – coffee bars are becoming ubiquitous in urban India. <br />
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The once less known South Indian filter "kaapi" , served piping hot in steel tumbler with a small dabarah (cannot find a similar word in English) for cooling, has now morphed into&nbsp; cappuccinos and lattés , finding its way onto menus across India’s burgeoning cities and youth.<br />
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India’s coffee is both special and unique&nbsp; - right from its planting to its traditional style of drinking.&nbsp; And that is really the idea behind this blog post. It is not to re-tell the well known but bitter history of coffee but more to inform about its current crisis and uncertain future.<br />
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Indian coffee is the finest shade growing coffee in the world and it is rare because all the coffee grown in India ,is grown in natural conditions , is dependant on monsoon rain and thrives in shade growing areas. There are close to 250,000 coffee planters in India – of which 98% are small farmers, cultivating on less than 10 hectares. There is almost no mechanization – it is labour intensive , employing about 2 million people&nbsp; directly thereby generating rural livelihood.<br />
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Drive through any coffee growing district in South India – From Coorg to Chikmagalur and what you will discover are verdant coffee forests, acres of coffee estates full of all kinds of&nbsp;&nbsp; trees with coffee growing under a thick canopy of natural shade, often mixed with ginger, pepper and vanilla . With most of the&nbsp; coffee estates located in the Western Ghats, coffee forests are located in biodiversity hotspots that have a high level of endemism, bio diversity and wide array of flora and fauna. From Indian mahogany, to teak and&nbsp; sandalwood , to the silver oak, and white cedar, trees stand majestically&nbsp; tall . It is almost as if the forests nurture and protect the coffee berries&nbsp; . Maintaining forests ensure a healthy coffee crop and the coffee planters almost has a sacred relationship with nature. There are wide species of&nbsp; butterflies and birds . Protected wildlife parks often dot the region. Elephants wander about, sometimes destroying coffee plants&nbsp; - the&nbsp; famous langur, slender loris, ,spotted deer are some of the animals that live in the region.<br />
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And here’s the other thing – five major South Indian rivers have its origin in coffee estates, the most popular one being the&nbsp; River Cauvery -that starts in the coffee growing region of Coorg.&nbsp; Here the river is venerated and worshipped as Goddess Cauvery – as a protector of their land.&nbsp; Coffee is so closely linked to the elements – and over time the coffee growers have developed&nbsp; a deep tradition to preserve&nbsp;&nbsp; rivers and forests.<br />
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But the picture is not&nbsp; about the sweet fragrance of the coffee plant in bloom or misty rolling mountains. It is about a rapid change in climate that has resulted in rising temperatures and unseasonal&nbsp; rains , sometimes heavier rainfalls , periods of&nbsp;&nbsp; drought and flooding ,prolonged higher day time temperatures and sudden drop in night time temperature – all climatic impacts&nbsp; that have resulted in lowered yields that are making coffee cultivation almost economically unviable.&nbsp; There is a growing need to invest in technology to adapt to changing and unpredictable weather patterns but since the farmer is small, these are not always accessible or possible. There is a shift that is taking place. Slowly growers are selling their estates, part by part, the price the land fetches for the timber it holds, is more profitable than cultivating coffee in a climate changing world. More worrying is that there are no takers in the next generation as high profits on coffee cultivation start to dim.<br />
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So is coffee all about&nbsp; about cash and commerce ? Is its&nbsp; value limited to&nbsp;&nbsp; commodity indices&nbsp; and high menu prices? Does no one recognize its intrinsic value and its role in maintaining&nbsp; biodiversity, acting as a carbon sink, globally sequestering about 6 billion kgs of carbon,&nbsp; and&nbsp; conserving wildlife and ecosystems ?The value of coffee lies way beyond&nbsp; its economic price tag – its value in providing ecological services is indeed priceless.<br />
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During my recent visit to Chikmagalur, I met a coffee planter who said that he himself had personally planted over 100,000 trees in his life time –&nbsp; this was way before the world was hot on climate change , carbon trading and clean development mechanism. And standing on his coffee estate I thought to myself - indeed these small planters are not Gordon Gekko s children !<br />
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The silent coffee planter that protects India s rich biodiversity and forests, does not need&nbsp;&nbsp; a trading mechanism to protect our natural resources and create a better world. What he needs is for his voice to be heard while a different crisis brews.<br />
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It is indeed time to wake up and smell the coffee.</div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-36235520021141193842010-07-23T17:21:00.000+05:302010-07-23T17:21:26.122+05:30Rig the Climate<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<b>By: Viva Kermani</b>&nbsp;</div>
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The climate denial lobby is beginning to look really silly.
It creates loonies out of people -the most recent one - Lord Monckton - who claims that climate change, is a conspiracy, a new flag of the left and rebukes the very idea of global warming. <br /><br />For someone who has no training in science whatsoever to discount the IPCC s body of some 800 scientists, he is irresponsible and certifiable.
The science is now loud and clear - warming of the earth is unequivocal and there is no doubt that much of the change in climate is due to human induced action.<br /> <br />Scientists at NASA-GISS have confirmed that the first six months of 2010 have set a global temperature record.
But I am not going to write about the vicissitudes of climate change of my generation or the politics that world leaders has been engaged in over the last decade to try to solve the climate crisis or what is the planet we are leaving behind.
It has been about 2 decades since the Earth Summit in Rio and we are still struggling for an agreement to protect our planet and its ecosystems, its forest, water tables, atmosphere, oceans and mountains.<br /><br /> In the last 50 years or so millions have been spent in UN conventions, declarations and pledges for environmental protection. While we may have failed the earth in the last 100 years or so – there were some who paid it glorious tribute 5000 years ago.
The best tribute ever paid to the environment can be found in the Vedas.
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The Vedas are considered the most sacred books for Hindus. The word Veda means “wisdom”. There are 4 Vedas .The Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda.
The Rig Veda , a collection of hymns ,are the most ancient of all Hindu texts, probably about 5000 years old but codified much later.This is concerned with the worship of gods that are largely personifications of the powers of nature.
The Rig Veda contains the most popular mantra , the Gayatri mantra. I don’t know any Indian who does not know the Gayatri Mantra – it’s the mother of all mantras.<br /><br /></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4K2y3HPatEk/TEmB7MXGr6I/AAAAAAAAAIw/TOsx8TdxNP4/s1600/gayatri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4K2y3HPatEk/TEmB7MXGr6I/AAAAAAAAAIw/TOsx8TdxNP4/s200/gayatri.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><b style="color: #990000;">Aum Bhoor Bhuwah Swaha<br /><br />
Tat Savitur Varenyam<br />&nbsp;</b></div>
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Bhargo Devasaya Dheemahi
<br /><br />Dhiyo Yo Naha Prachodayat</b><br /><br />
<br /><br /><br /><br />There are various interpretations of this simple mantra - I do not wish to go into the existential meaning of this mantra, its metaphor or its esoteric meaning.I am no expert in Sankrit or ancient texts. Not at all and cannot even remotely claim to be. But this much I know -when I do a word to word break down of the Gayatri Mantra it is telling me something – a prayer to the "giver of light and life" - the sun (savitur). Its power remains unchallenged and unrivalled.
It is not only the Rig Veda that pays tribute to nature. <br /><br />There are 63 mantras of Atharva Veda (12.1.1. to 12.1.63) pertain to Hymns to the Earth, which glorifies Mother Earth.
The Rig Veda regards trees and plants as possessing healing properties. Tree planting is considered a religious duty. <br /><br />So ecology is not a modern day science that was started in Europe. Its root can be found in our ancient texts and its modern day manifestation in the Chipko Movement that began in the early 70’s in the Garwhal – where villagers formed a human chain and hugged trees marked to be cut down for the development of a sports equipment factory. Since then, the movement has grown as a ecological movement.
So while world leaders break their heads over complex documents on carbon emissions,legal frameworks,binding targets,offsetting, de-forestation and afforestation, Indian Rishis understood this 5000 years ago but instead,chose to express it through beautiful, 4 line hymns - that are still chanted today. <br /></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-53098812936780347062010-07-08T12:07:00.001+05:302010-07-08T12:27:20.641+05:30Take note: climate is warming but weather is variable<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<b>By: Kaavya Nag </b></div>
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Do you sometimes feel, like I do right now, that unless people are convinced 'beyond reasonable doubt' that the <i>climate </i>is indeed changing, no amount of scientific fact is going to make Mohammed go to the mountain?&nbsp;</div>
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<b>Why has it become so convenient to confuse <i>weather </i>and <i>climate</i>? </b></div>
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The
2009 cold wave in Europe and some parts of North America was all it
took to bring down the average confidence in the threat of climate
change. <br />
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"If its so cold, how can the climate change"? </div>
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Unfortunately, even scientists have to get defensive about their positions, reiterating that global temperatures (the <i>planet</i>
as a whole) continue to rise, 'regardless of the fact that some parts
of the United States are now experiencing an atypically cold weather'. <br />
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Now that there is a heat wave in the United States and North America (July 8th 2010),
climate change has 're-become' the culprit for the extreme
temperatures.&nbsp;</div>
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But for how long will this heat-wave remain in public memory?<br /></div>
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Obama might make impassioned statements defending climate change; Ban ki-Moon might do so too. Scientists may come out in the defense of other fellow scientists, and US Government scientists might try to take a dig at climate skeptics. But these are not the real 'convincers'. <br />
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Opinion is shaped by reading (or listening or watching) the same convincing (need not mean true) arguments again and again. And if every second newspaper article says 'yes we have soaring temperatures, but ...', or,'yes there is a cold wave, so don't you see ...?', what would you believe?&nbsp;</div>
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At the least, you would start doubting that climate change is real. </div>
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I ask why well educated individuals writing in the public domain make it so easy to blinker themselves to some fundamental differences between weather and climate. Focusing on short periods of time to prove that global warming is not occurring is a misuse of the definition of climate, as much as it is a misleading way to use statistics. </div>
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<br /></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-39644972212981463322010-06-29T16:24:00.001+05:302010-07-08T16:51:18.850+05:30Equity versus atmospheric carbon space<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<b>By: Kaavya Nag</b></div>
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For as long as countries have come together to talk about climate change and what to do about it, one of the core issues of debate has been how to apportion the responsibility of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, in a fair and equitable manner. </div>
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The inheritance of this carbon-dioxide burden, is not equal among countries. Historically, some are more responsible than others. The issue of who will do how much, and in what proportion to their
historical resposibilities (called 'Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) in climate jargon), has become an issue without whose resolution a solution to climate change is not likely.&nbsp;</div>
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India has historically hardlined for this CBDR principle (as have most
developing countries), but has stuck to a per-capita approach to emissions.The arguement has long been that the per capita emissions of an average Indian are much lower than even the global average, and that India and Indians therefore, have the 'right to develop' (since development implies an increase in emissions).&nbsp;</div>
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Recently however, there has been some independent thinking from scientists and academicians within India, asking for a reasessment of the per capita approach. Key scientific associations involved in the debate are the Delhi Science Forum (DSF) and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). These and other organisations including the Centre for Policy and Resarch, have been pushing the Indian government to look at a slightly different approach to emissions, considering the rapid rate with which India's emissions are growing. <br />
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In this context, TISS has come out with a model that reallocates the available 'carbon space' of the atmosphere while ensuring that the total sum of emissions does not exceed the estimated dangerous limit. The model has been constructed based on a realistic evaluation of the current occupation of carbon space by countries.&nbsp;</div>
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The report indicates that many developing countries have not utilised their full proportion of 'available' carbon space (subject to industrialised countries that currently use up that space making it available for countries like India), which is close to 17% of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by 2050, while carbon space is around 4 %.</div>
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Admitted,
India needs to develop in order to alleviate poverty, raise standards
of living and increase capacity to adapt to the adverse impacts of
climate change. But can it do so while making a conscious effort to move
towards a low-carbon economy, and not utilise its full quota of future
carbon space? </div>
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Read the report:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tiss.edu/events/attachments/BackgroundPaper31May2010.pdf">
Meeting equity in a finite carbon world</a></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-66490896397485311322010-06-01T10:26:00.002+05:302010-07-08T16:50:36.212+05:30From markets with love<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>By: Viva Kermani</b><br /><br />The carbon super market may just get
another goodie! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">At the Carbon Expo, carbon traders are
discussing the launch of the Green Bond or International Carbon Bond.<o:p></o:p>
Like the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) &nbsp;that pays developing
countries to reduce&nbsp; GHG emissions , the Green Bond will do just the
same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">To the
uninitiated, the CDM is </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">the principal tool for engaging with developing
countries on mitigation policy. This allows developed country
governments and companies to meet emissions reduction targets in part by
purchasing certified emissions reduction credits (CERs) which they
receive in return for financing projects in developing countries which
reduce emissions. This is also known as “offsetting”.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">India and China are the
leading countries in CDM projects but recently China has over taken
India. While India entered the CDM market </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">in 2003,</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> the size of projects is
small – largely driven by&nbsp; mid-sized </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">companies</span><span lang="EN-US">. However this could change, should some of the Indian
Public Sector Units chose to enter the carbon markets.</span></span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">&nbsp;Like some&nbsp;
bonds, including Daniel Craig, this is also hot .And here is why.</span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m5Vzfal8u5k/TATBqWlTNXI/AAAAAAAAACA/rs7uAoPMxfE/s1600/daniel-craig-james-bond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m5Vzfal8u5k/TATBqWlTNXI/AAAAAAAAACA/rs7uAoPMxfE/s200/daniel-craig-james-bond.jpg" width="158" /></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; line-height: 115%;">Unlike the CDM process where
there is a lengthy review process, with the Green Bond, the money is
paid up front by investors and the returns guaranteed to the investor.
The Investor then would be free to trade the bonds in international
market.&nbsp;</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;" /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; line-height: 115%;">And here
is the sweet spot.It would be like a sovereign debt.So if the project
fails and there is no reduction in emissions,the investor is protected
as the bond is backed by the World Bank or some such financial
institution.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;" /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; line-height: 115%;">So if
you want to make some quick bucks, watch this space and keep in touch
with your investment banker - he is very likely to sell you the bond and
not the sun.</span></span>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-77703997189186181642010-05-21T10:25:00.000+05:302010-06-02T10:26:20.439+05:30Of banana peels and popcorn<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>By: Viva Kermani</b><br /><br />About two weeks ago, I met Peo and Satoko
Ekberg.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Peo is from Sweden - a country
that is fueling ahead to be the world's first oil-free country by
2020.This is without increasing its nuclear energy capabilities.I would
call this ambition, to a point of being far fetched.,but Sweden seems to
be on its way. From 70% energy from oil in 1975, today only 30% of its
energy comes from oil.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>So are the 9 million Swedes committed to this idea. Is it really
possible to break the oil dependency and still run a first world
country efficiently? From what Peo tells me, yes</span><span>. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />
</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m5Vzfal8u5k/S_Ywj5OB-jI/AAAAAAAAABY/1BGnLJoFyVs/s1600/Sweden+public+trasnprot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m5Vzfal8u5k/S_Ywj5OB-jI/AAAAAAAAABY/1BGnLJoFyVs/s200/Sweden+public+trasnprot.jpg" width="200" /></a><span>&nbsp;</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Buses run on banana peels and
kitchen waste, elevators are solar powered, taxis ferry you on coffee
wastes collected from coffee shops. The capital, Stockholm, has reduced
its household wastes by 97% - a big part of the garbage is&nbsp; recycled
into energy to power homes and transport. Public&nbsp; transport in Stockholm
now runs&nbsp; a 100 % on bio-energy. The list goes on.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">So I asked Peo, what does the city smell like with all
this garbage in buses, taxis and cars?&nbsp; Oh ! Fresh pop corn.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">So next time you
get a whiff of fresh pop corn, remind yourself that you may not be &nbsp;in a
cinema house watching&nbsp; “An Inconvenient Truth” &nbsp;but you are probably in
Sweden, on a bus, going to &nbsp;watch Bergman’s “Autumn Sonata”</span></span></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-86774371112719804302010-05-19T10:24:00.001+05:302010-07-08T16:49:43.335+05:30Here comes Christiana<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<b>By: Viva Kermani</b><br /><br />In my mind this could have been breaking news. <br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m5Vzfal8u5k/S_TAoJztITI/AAAAAAAAAA4/X6hXjy0PxZc/s1600/christiana_100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m5Vzfal8u5k/S_TAoJztITI/AAAAAAAAAA4/X6hXjy0PxZc/s320/christiana_100.jpg" /></a>Christiana is from Costa Rica, a developing country,
and is a woman. A great combo. And if you did not know, Costa Rica is
well on its way to becoming the first carbon neutral country by 2020.
We finally have a woman who will head a traditional old boys club. So
there. She is not your usual suspect in the least. She has the perfect
CV to qualify for the job and having been around and part of the
international negotiations since 1995 she knows the climate politics
machinery all too well. She is a well recognised International leader
on strategies to address global climate change .Nothing really could
have denied her the job .</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
There is hope by the South that she
will from time to time where the hat of the LDCs, the OASIS, the
developing countries .Something that her predecessor was accused of not
doing enough of. The voice of the most vulnerable will at last be
heard and there will be action! </div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
But this is what I am thinking.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
Carbon trading, Clean Development
Mechanisms, REDD,REDD Plus, Carbon Tax, Kyoto Protocol, COP 15 and even
COP16 ,Bali Action Plan, Emission trading, Carbon pricing, will not
solve the problem . And sadly neither will Christiana.</div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-75574853039430497672010-05-18T10:22:00.001+05:302010-07-08T16:50:07.249+05:30Spill Baby Spill<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<b>By: Viva Kermani</b><br />
<br />
A very predictable header but after
going drill baby drill, this is what happened at British Petroleum s
“ultra” Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. About 70,000
barrels of oil a day (and still counting) are being spilled into the
ocean since April 20, 2010. The drilling was really “ultra deep”. The
worry is not so much about when the spilling will be contained but where
the oil will land up.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
With no end in sight, the blame
game has begun among the 3 actors. The project is owned by BP.
Transocean owns the rig and has leased it to BP till 2013 and
Halliburton, the oilfield services company, did the cement work to cap
the well.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m5Vzfal8u5k/S_pNab_CvwI/AAAAAAAAABg/118ZHx1y0Bg/s1600/black-sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m5Vzfal8u5k/S_pNab_CvwI/AAAAAAAAABg/118ZHx1y0Bg/s200/black-sea.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
The impacts have not even begun to be considered. The toxic
compounds in oil are known human carcinogens and hydrocarbons are
particularly relevant if inhaled or ingested –for both humans and
animal. For birds, the timing could not be worse. They are breeding and
nesting and especially vulnerable in many of the places where the oil
could come ashore. Nothing short of a catastrophe. </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
It will ruin for years to come the abode of
the resident seabirds, waders, waterfowls, heron, pelicans,
oystercatchers, migratory birds (swallows, buntings) that use the Gulf
Wetlands as a stopover. With waters and coastal regions already feeling
the impact of the oil spill, these birds could be at risk. It will
totally disrupt migratory patterns and could result in mutations of
certain species. Short-lived species such as shrimp or crabs may
disappear in the region. The fishing industry in the area will pay its
price.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
While I am no expert on oil
-from rigs to spills, this much I know. That when you get ultra greedy,
you ultra dig and recovering will be ultra costly.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
So my message for British
Petroleum is this.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
Drop that hubris .Admit that
there are better forms of energy that we deserve.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
And if this is not the right moment to
improve your energy mix, you deserve to stay at the “bottom of the
barrel”</div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-51731479336296625922010-05-16T10:22:00.001+05:302010-07-08T16:49:21.398+05:30Summertime and the fish are not jumpin<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<b>By: Viva Kermani</b><br />
<br />
While mercury soars across the sub
continent, parts of the wettest state, Kerala, suffers from drought.
This is unusual for God s own country. It is also unusual for the garden
city, Bangalore, to touch 38 degrees centigrade. It is unusual that
there are no glaciers in the summer months, even 40 km around Srinagar's
east-side mountains. While Rajasthan is known for its desert heat, it
is unusual that many of its districts are experiencing about 6 degree
centigrade temperature increase.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
But this is not about an
unbearable summer where everything and everyone seems to wilt away and
there is general listlessness. This is really about some myths and
reality.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">The myth is that climate has always changed so this is normal. The
reality is that the climate is changing at a speed like never before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
The myth is that we can wait. The reality is that we have no time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
The myth is that climate change action is costly. The reality is that
inaction will cost us more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
The myth is that money grows on trees . The reality is that it actually
does.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
The myth is that we can change – the reality is that we can t change
fast enough.
</span>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-23761978426487069392010-05-16T10:20:00.001+05:302010-07-08T16:47:58.899+05:30MoEF must not die<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<b>By: Viva Kermani</b><br />
<br />
I have to give it to him.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
Jairam Ramesh is the best Environment
Minister India has had. And I am saying this as he completes his very
first year in office. So for someone who said that this was a ministry
he was least expecting to head, Jairam has done rather well.&nbsp;</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">The list of his hits is long.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
For once, we have an environmentalist leading the Environment Ministry.
We have someone who comes with independent thinking – and this is like
music to my ears ! </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
Starting with transparency, public
consultation on bt Brinjal, cancelling projects that were given bogus
environmental clearances ,creating a proper, user friendly website for
the Ministry, knowing the difference between REDD and REDD Plus, getting
rid of retired bureaucrats who have been negotiating India’s future ,
efforts to ramp up India’s mitigation efforts on climate change, Jairam
Ramesh needs applause.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
I don’t want to get into all the
details of his accomplishment and neither do I want to get into his
boo-boos, but what strikes me is the courage of his conviction, his
willingness to fight to the end, his determination to change a corrupt
ministry and to cleaning up the mess that he inherited.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
Jairam Ramesh is clearly one of
the Pet Shop boys and with good reason .While he is certainly no puppy,
his pedigree, his penchant for strategy and independent thinking, surely
makes him the leader of the pack.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: justify;">
If he goes, MOEF will go back to being on its death bed and
will languish. We will then continue to degrade our forest, continue to
classify forest as wastelands, only to be given away to mining giants,
we will once again create a ministry of collusion and corruption in the
name of development.</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">So yes, Jairam Ramesh must stay put. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
For a change I can chant - the right man in the right job .And with no
intention of sounding clichéd, I also believe he is the right man in the
wrong party. And with that thought, I think I smiled
</span>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-35836104622575161062010-05-14T17:55:00.007+05:302010-07-08T16:48:19.679+05:30Why we need Mr. Paryavaran Bhavan (Jairam Ramesh)<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><b>By: Kaavya Nag</b><br /><br />Is it that we never expected to see someone, that too a political someone like Jairam Ramesh, take the reins of his new job, hit the ground running, show such corporate-style efficiency and competence, and be so clued-in about the whole thing? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><b>Not in our dictionary of expectations: </b>Ability to be efficient, ability to 'see my point of view', be a Blackberry-modern thinker. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><b>Unstated fact: </b>we credit them with little intelligence, expect them to turn a deaf ear to issues they should care about (which includes what we care about)</span>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">But let’s face it, Ramesh is a capable and well-connected politician with a mission, one entrusted to him by the PM.&nbsp; </span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4K2y3HPatEk/S-1CCUVwtVI/AAAAAAAAAIM/OvG2aayNYJg/s1600/jairam+ramesh.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4K2y3HPatEk/S-1CCUVwtVI/AAAAAAAAAIM/OvG2aayNYJg/s200/jairam+ramesh.gif" width="118" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br />Said Dr Singh: “India has not caused the problem of global warming. But try and make sure that India is part of the solution. Be constructive; be proactive”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br />Ramesh could well have taken his role in international climate politics extra-seriously, and remain the de-facto Indian ambassador for climate change. But he carries out his domestic (and real job-profile) duties with the same amount of rigour. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Ramesh
has pushed for setting a framework in place – whether on policies,
systems of operation or regulations. Things that will last even after he
is gone from the post. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">One of the first things he did, to show his commitment to transparency, was to change the wooden doors of his office to glass. (If I were an under-the-table-dealings minister who took his place, would I be unable to re-install the wooden doors or what!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">So while we may disagree with some of the policies he pushes for, or with the way in which some policies have turned out, we cannot question his integrity. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Despite his wrong-place (when in China) and inappropriate statements on an issue that did not concern his ministry (it did the Home Ministry), or his many vocal statements in the past concerning environmental issues (India will win the Nobel Prize for dirt and filth if there was one, locking horns with transport minister Kamal Nath over environment clearances), he continues to do his job as environment minister with considerable efficacy. (Pray why is an environment minister (no lesser rank mind you), asking legitimate questions about environment clearances frowned upon for asking them?)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">In our defense (and there are gaping holes in it), no previous environment minister has set the precedent for such efficacious and even prolific productivity.&nbsp; </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Citizen consultations (<b style="color: orange;">what’s that?</b>) on BT Brinjal, follow-up actions (<b style="color: orange;">!</b>) regarding cancellation of environmental clearance (<b style="color: orange;">really?</b>), inviting comments (<b style="color: orange;">inviting comments – are you sure?</b>) on ToR for Elephant Task Force, sector-specific EIA manuals that will provide users and other stakeholders greater clarity about the environmental clearance project (<b style="color: orange;">again, really?</b>), a paperless National CDM Authority (<b><span style="color: orange;">not bad</span></b>), pollution indices for major industrial clusters…</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">All of the above and many more, all on a website that is updated as fast as a private news-channel (transparency again). <br /><br />We didn't expect this much <i>yaar!</i> That, really, is our defense. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">So even if you sensationalise the man’s many foot-in-mouth statements, and dull some of the sheen on his productivity by saying not all of the output was beneficial, admit that India has never had such a capable, intelligent and go-getter environment minister. None have been as approachable or responsive, and none have been as committed to ‘doing the job’. And none have been as cool.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Never before has the environment ministry and minister made as many headlines or environment and environment issues got so much national coverage. If not a Nobel Prize we can certainly ask for a Limca record for maximum headlines from an environment ministry. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">To poke more holes in our defense, <i>Jaago Re!</i> This is the 21st century, and we need to expect our <i>netas </i>to deliver on more counts than 12th standard pass, no criminal records and Lok Sabha attendance (in a white Ambi). <br /><br />At the end of the day, we need Ramesh just where he is, and definitely not outside the Ministry of Environment and Forests. </span>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-51825766935315798602010-05-07T17:01:00.002+05:302010-07-08T16:46:37.428+05:30BEE's masterstroke: Bachat Lamp Yojana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4K2y3HPatEk/S-P4hE5-33I/AAAAAAAAAH8/q-eXS9kErHI/s1600/BLY_Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4K2y3HPatEk/S-P4hE5-33I/AAAAAAAAAH8/q-eXS9kErHI/s200/BLY_Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<b>By: Kaavya Nag</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<br />
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has pitched for and bagged the world's
largest carbon credit project - the <a href="http://www.bee-india.nic.in/content.php?id=2">Bachat Lamp
Yojana</a> . The BLY aims to prevent 40 million tonnes of carbon
dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, and make CFL bulbs
cheap enough for 400 million energy inefficient incandescent bulbs to be replaced. </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_1913945479"></span><span id="goog_1913945480"></span>Thomas Edison's first full-scale test of the incandescent bulb in 1879 lasted 13.5 hours. It was one of the first successful experiments to commercialise the light bulb. Over a hundred and thirty years down the road, the modern version, with a tungsten filament in place of the carbon filament that Edison and others first experimented with, is just as inefficient as its ancestral prototypes. Poultry farms across India use it to heat their coops -&nbsp; not surprisingly - because roughly 90 percent of the power it consumes is emitted as heat.</div>
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The Bureau of Energy Efficiency estimates that there are over 400 million light points in India using incandescent lights (ICLs). Replacing these ICLs can potentially reduce over 6000 MW in electricity demand.&nbsp; </div>
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That metric is just what the Bureau of Energy Efficiency's aims to get at. But it aims to overcome the cost barriers to CFLs - currently priced between Rs. 80 and 130, by subsidising it through a <a href="http://cdm.unfccc.int/about/index.html">Clean Development Mechanism</a> (CDM) project, and making CFLs available at Rs 15 per bulb. The subsidy to consumers will be met through financial investors lending the upfront finance to electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs), who can then sell CFL bulbs at the decided rate. Investors will make back their investment when they sell carbon credits in international carbon markets, either to countries who have to meet their UN targets, or to interested companies in Europe. </div>
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The BEE masterstroke is that individual state governments or power companies will not have to register each of their projects under the UN's CDM system (a long-drawn out process). Unfortunately, there is no law in India that is phasing out ICLs, unlike some other countries, and this is a barrier to implementation. The BLY scheme will mostly amount to a 'demonstration', although it will definitely amount to a lot of energy and emissions saving. But the BEE hopes that by 2012 (by which time the project comes to a close), there will be more willing domestic consumers, increased scale of operation, and lowered retail costs to CFLs.</div>
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<br /></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-27716713755706869632010-04-20T09:12:00.006+05:302010-07-08T16:46:12.978+05:30India & China: The Renewable Energy 'Outsourcees'?<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<b>By: Kaavya Nag</b><br />
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News reports coming out of the United States suggest that India and China are <a href="http://trueslant.com/jeffmcmahon/2010/04/14/china-india-steal-u-s-solar-jobs/">'stealing'</a> US solar jobs - what with companies halting manufacture of solar panel components in America. In this capitalistic global economy, profits mean too much for private companies to have nationalistic or altruistic bottom-lines. So if BP solar made a purely business decision by halting production in the US while opening manufacturing plants in India and China, then such a move should come as no surprise.</div>
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Agreed - such news is alarming, because it gets one thinking this could well be the precursor to another outsourcing blitzkrieg. But blaming third-world eager beaver private players for snatching away US skilled and semi-skilled jobs may not be a completely fair diagnosis. </div>
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Any student of history will know that an explanation for present-day happenings could well lie in the past. So simply pointing a convenient finger at India and China for taking away what is not theirs, may not be an objective enough analysis. </div>
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<b style="color: #990000;"><br /><span style="color: #b45f06;">China's first-mover advantage</span></b> </div>
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Long before the phrase 'low-carbon' became uber-cool, China had enacted (in 2006) a series of laws and policies that would push the country's renewable energy mix up to 15 percent. What this effectively did, was to create the space for clean-energy businesses to thrive in the settings of a booming national economy. </div>
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In this capitalistic world, and one in which China fought for no caps on trading in other sectors, developed countries were justifiably peeved with the Chinese government's active policy of creating unfair market barriers for foreign firms hoping to get a slice China's profit pie. </div>
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But we have to give it to China - they had the foresight and the stubborn will to enforce their policies. We also cannot claim that their renewable energy boom came in 2010 - everyone had seen it coming since 2008. China has now become the fastest growing wind-energy market, the world's largest producer of wind turbines, and is home to Suntech, the world's largest producer of solar photovoltaics by volume. </div>
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<b>The elephant moves</b><b> pre-Copenhagen</b></div>
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India has awoken late - just pre-Copenhagen. But in the short (by Indian standards) span of one year, missions have been approved and budgets allocated to respective ministries and agencies. The juggernaut has been set in motion, and will move faster in two years from now - at least for solar energy production and energy efficiency. </div>
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Also heartening is the knowledge that our leaders know that they need to capitalise on the time they have now, and on the world's opinion of India. </div>
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Domestic moves towards renewable energy in the energy mix and a lower-carbon economy will obviously have desired and beneficial side-effects. Those could even multiply with South-South cooperation - if the camaraderie between Brazil, South Africa, China, Russia and India develops the way it has in the past six months.&nbsp; </div>
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<b>US inaction post-Copenhagen</b></div>
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The US Climate Bill bore the promise of change. To the world, a first-step commitment to tackle climate change, to potential job-seekers in the US, clean-energy jobs, to potential entrepreneurs, the promise of a booming business. But is has been so late in coming, that one cannot blame other first and fast-movers for seizing the opportunity first.</div>
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When every nation wants to be a 'deal maker' and everybody wants to 'be the change', opportunity can be created,
capitalised on, taken, and lost, but it cannot be 'stolen'.</div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-56439743161615433352010-04-07T16:27:00.003+05:302010-07-08T16:45:56.200+05:30India before the low-carbon tipping point<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<b>By: Kaavya Nag<br /></b></div>
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Renewable energy is now in fashion in India, and one of its biggest promoters is the government. That is undoubtedly a good thing, because so as far as reach goes, they beat anyone else. What with the power to make policies, issue policy directives, enact bills and create directed programmes such as the Remote Village Electrification Programme. </div>
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Apart from policy and programme related actions, the Union government has taken it upon itself to green the Parliament House, and to push for all government buildings to install solar panels on their premises. Then there is the very likely possibility of solar electricity getting subsidised by 30 percent for those who wish to install solar panels on their rooftops (grid connected). If states back this with more subsidy, home owners could get a total of 50 percent subsidy on power generation from solar panels. </div>
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A proposal by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to mandate all mobile service providers to to get their power from solar panels rather than from diesel, could translate into a saving of 5 million tonnes of CO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span> annually, and about 2 billion litres of diesel each year. </div>
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All of these initiatives are either part of or tie into, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). </div>
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New Delhi, courtesy the Commonwealth Games has taken it upon itself to go greener. The Thyagaraja Stadium will be run on solar energy for the period of the games, following which the power it generates will go to the grid. Naveen Patnaik, Orissa's CM has pushed through rural electrification using solar power, for 3000 remote villages across the state. The Punjab government in collaboration with US companies are all set to create a network of solar power plants that are expected to generate 1000 MW of solar power. </div>
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Then there are the private and the public-private players. BHEL wants to re-enter the wind turbine manufacturing market. Suzlon just landed a massive deal to produce wind turbines for a company in Gujarat.</div>
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The list of announcements and projects in the pipeline goes on. Although India is a big country, the thought that comes to mind is, are we on the path to a game-changer? Are we at that tipping point that Malcom Gladwell so expertly enumerates in his book with the same title? Arguably India is a big country with a billion plus people, and clearly, we are still far from that tipping point. But just to preempt some thought, are the 'settings' right for us to get there there and beyond? </div>
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The government is trying to tweak settings across the board - the JNNSM and the NMEEE are two examples. Even hard core 'developmentalists' would agree that a move towards energy sources that ensure energy security are in any nation's best interests. And we have no dearth of people and networks who can potentially create a meme so powerful that it spreads like a virus. </div>
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So here's to a new hope and a new tipping point!</div>
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<br /></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680484610542345242.post-68236352316121482202010-03-18T17:41:00.003+05:302010-07-08T16:45:17.276+05:30Why the State is key to a real green jobs market<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">
<b>By: Kaavya Nag</b><br />
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The pre and aftermath of Copenhagen has undoubtedly been the heightening of interest in the key words: <b>green jobs </b>(among others of course). However, the excitement and buzz around the notion of a low-carbon job, runs ahead of the actual creation of a successful 'green job' market.</div>
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Success is relative, but a real green job market would be one that fuels the clean energy economy. And for that, we need a pre-planned change in the policy
climate. One that fuels a clean energy economy and takes green jobs along with that growth curve. </div>
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We don't need targets just for the National Solar Mission, we need a bigger vision. We need a thought-space in India's national climate policy, on how to use this opportunity to create green jobs (not just jobs). We need the people deciding national policies to pen down the pathways by which the country will get green jobs fuel clean growth, and for clean growth fuel green jobs. That will be the real game-changer.</div>
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If not, it is likely that a green job will remain a 'green MBA', a LEEDs certified green building consultant, and a carbon analyst. And clearly, only some buildings will be green, not all. In addition, the words 'green job' will continue to give the impression that such work automatically brings you below-par a normal job vis-a-vis the pay scale or career prospect path, possibly because you tend to associate the word green with non-profit.</div>
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If we want green jobs to deliver to their true potential, an electrician in a retrofit company, a public transport employee and an engineer in a wind energy company won't be the only ones holding a green job. Even the plain old investment banker, librarian and local salesman should fit the bill.&nbsp; </div>
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While the librarian and salesman are currently idealistic green jobbers, they are not unreachable Utopian goals.We can get to <b>Stage I</b> of green jobbing the country by getting the State to create demand for green jobbers, and focus on capacity building though green skill training. Focus on the industries and development that can scale-up green jobs. A good start would be the energy efficiency, renewable energy and agriculture sectors. Green skill training does not create a 'green certified' mechanic, rather it incorporates additional new technology and methods training into existing curricula. </div>
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To get to <b>Stage II</b>, we need policy reforms that will create the regulatory environment and give the impetus for low-carbon growth. Including mandatory industry standards in product supply chains and life cycles, operations and maintenance. That is what will move green jobs into the 'open sea' of competition, and make many more jobs green than they currently are.</div>
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<br /></div>India Climatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233342238817029407noreply@blogger.com1